With the Northern School, there is no need to attend an "introductory" course before you begin your design course. On many of our design courses, it is possible to attend for a day or two before committing to the rest of the course - "try before you buy".
For those of you who want to know more before starting a course, our recommended "introduction to permaculture" is to attend one of our Designers' Weekends [link], where you can watch experienced designers at work, and contribute to the overall success of the project.
From time-to-time, we will also announce other events that are suitable as "taster" sessions. Although, we repeat, there is no need to attend anything before you start the Design Course.